The Distance Between Us (Mac Security Series Book 3)

by Abigail Davies

  “Are you sure?” I ask.

  For all that I thought Jonny was, he actually isn’t that bad. He’s only ever been kind to me. He could have taken me to his own doctor that I know tends to anyone who’s injured without asking questions, but he didn’t, he risked everything bringing me here and I’ll forever be grateful.

  “Yeah, darlin’. I’m sure.” He smiles and stands up, hooking his thumb over his shoulder. “I’ll just be out there.”

  I nod and turn my head, wincing as someone touches my bicep.

  “Bullet is still in there,” someone says. “We need to get it out.”

  They start poking around in the wound and I scream, just before everything turns black, again.

  “Sergeant Mackenzie,” I grunt into my cell.

  “Charlie?” a soft voice sounds over the line. “It’s Maria from the hospital. I thought you’d want to know that Jonny May just turned up with a gunshot victim.”

  My heart starts to pound and I stand up from my office chair, making my way into the pit.

  “Who’s the victim?”

  “One second, let me see.” I hear some typing in the background and then she says, “Katherine Walker.”

  I freeze, the cell dropping from my ear and falling to the floor. This can’t be happening. I can’t lose her too. Not like this.

  I look around at all the expectant faces that are waiting to hear what I have to say, but I can’t form words. Nothing is coming out; my world is tilting off its axis and I don’t know what to think or what to do.

  “Sarge?” someone asks, but all I can do is stare at them, not being able to speak.

  A hand comes crashing down onto my shoulder and everything comes barreling back, hitting me with so much force that I nearly topple over.

  “Call Ty! Tell him Kitty has been shot, she’s at the hospital!” I scream as I run through the pit, several pairs of feet following me.

  I can’t think about anything right now, I just need to get to Kitty, I need to make sure that she’s okay, that she’s alive.

  My mind works on autopilot as I make my way to the hospital, Kurt sitting beside me and Leroy in the back. I don’t have time for small talk, I just need to get there as soon as I can, so I slam my sirens on, running through red lights and making it there in a third of the time it would have taken me normally.

  I park outside the emergency room, pushing out of the car and not bothering to close the door behind me, knowing that one of the guys will take care of it.

  I rush inside, scanning the area and going straight to the main desk, flashing my badge.

  “Kitty… I mean, Katherine Walker.”

  The woman behind the desk types the name into the computer and looks up at me. “Waiting room four-b, second floor.”

  I nod and run to the stairs, not having time to wait for the elevator. I take them two at a time and run inside the waiting room, my hands clenching into fists as soon as I see him.

  “Motherfucker!” I make a run for him but several arms pull me back, stopping me from rearranging his face.

  “Sergeant Mackenzie.” He smirks. “What brings you here?”

  “I swear to God, I will kill you if she’s hurt.”

  His eyes narrow and he stands up, taking a step closer. “If who’s hurt?”

  “Kitty,” I spit.

  His eyes widen, the only sign that he’s shocked. Yeah, motherfucker, take that.

  “Where is she!” a voice shouts from behind me.

  I struggle out of Leroy and Kurt’s arms, turning to face Ty.

  “She’s being treated,” Jonny answers.

  “What the hell happened?” Luke growls, stepping forward and looking between Jonny and me.

  Jonny stays silent and sits back down, crossing his legs at the ankles and acting like this is a regular occurrence and just any other day of the week. I suppose for him it is.

  I step forward again, needing to rid myself of all the rage that’s coursing through me. It’s his fault that she’s hurt, if it wasn’t for him then she wouldn’t have been there and she’d never have gotten shot in the first place.

  “Don’t,” Ty warns. “Sit the fuck down.”

  “Don’t you fucking tell me what to do!” I step up to him, nose to nose, ready to take my anger out on anyone who gets in the way.

  “You need to calm the fuck down, bro. If you can’t keep your temper under control, then get the fuck out.”

  I look around me, not believing what I’m seeing. Luke, Evan, and Kay are sitting down, taking up the empty seats that Jonny and his men haven’t taken.

  They’re actually sitting in here, with him.

  “It’s his fault that she’s here!” I shout, my finger pointing directly at Jonny.

  “Yeah, and it’s Kitty who went in there, it was her choice, she knew the danger and I’m not discussing it with you... especially not here,” Ty says, his nostrils flaring. “Now sit the fuck down or get out.”

  I huff, not wanting to sit down, I want to break Jonny’s face, cause a riot, scream and fucking shout.

  But I do none of those things, I drag my ass to a chair and wait.

  “What happened?” Ty asks when we’re all sitting down, directing his attention to Jonny.

  Jonny looks around, meeting all of our eyes and then looking at his men. The room crackles with tension and I know that it’s only a matter of minutes before someone blows, and I have a feeling that it’s going to be me.

  Jonny huffs out a breath as he leans forward. “We were attacked, didn’t even see them fucking coming.”

  “You know who it was?” Ty asks, his brows drawn down into a frown.

  Jonny looks back up at me and I know from the look in his eyes that he knows exactly who did it.

  “That’s none of your concern,” he says, turning away from me after he’s said it and looking back to Ty. “It’ll be taken care of.”

  “Like hell it will!” I shout, standing up before I’m being pushed back down by Ty.

  “Shut up,” he growls low enough for only me to hear. “Both you and I know that you ain’t gonna get the people who did this. Let it go.”

  I grit my teeth, my jaw ticking. “You telling me if it was Kay that you’d let that shit go?”

  He pulls back, his eyes flitting between mine as he tries to decipher what I’m saying.

  “You need to tell me something, bro?”

  I cross my arms over my chest, looking from Ty and back to Jonny, hating that I can’t and won’t say anymore.

  I want to tell him that she’s mine, smack my fists on my chest and scream it from the rooftops, to hurt anyone who gets in my way of having her. But I don’t, instead I shake my head while puffing out a breath and lean back, waiting to hear how Kitty is.

  We sit and wait for what feels like hours and finally a doctor comes in and tells us that she’s been taken to surgery, needing to have the bullet wound cleaned and to check for any shrapnel or infection. All of us are concerned and Jonny is still here, though I suspect it’s to make sure that she doesn’t talk. Like that’s not going to happen.

  She’ll be telling me exactly what happened and who shot her so that I can put them away. He thinks he’s gotten away with it, well time’s up, he ain’t getting away with it anymore.

  Someone walks over to him a couple of hours later, whispering something in his ear and he nods, standing up and grabbing his suit jacket.

  I don’t know what the hell he’s up to, but as he walks out of the room, my feet want to follow him to find out.

  I don’t though, the scowl on Ty’s face is enough to have me staying put.

  My throat is so dry it feels like I haven’t drank for years, like I’ve just ran fifty miles without a drop of liquid to quench my thirst. I try to swallow and it feels like a thousand pins are stuck inside my throat, scratching and poking at the sensitive skin. The beeping coming from beside me is pounding through my head, that coupled with the bright lights in the room causes me to wince.

  I groa
n, gaining the attention of whoever is sitting next to me and they shuffle forward, grabbing onto my hand and squeezing gently.

  “Kitty?”

  Oh God, it’s Jonny. Why is he in here?

  I turn my head on my pillow, facing him, fulling expecting to see a face full of anger. When I get up the courage to open my eyes, it’s not anger I see, but a softness to his face and his eyes shining with concern. To say I’m shocked is an understatement, I was sure he’d be plotting how to get rid of me by now because I doubt that he doesn’t know who I am and what I’ve been doing all this time.

  “Doc said you’ll be fine.” He smiles.

  “I will?” I ask.

  “Yeah.” He clears his throat, shuffling forward in his chair. “I need to know what the hell is going on.” I take a deep breath, preparing to tell him. “The waiting room is full of people, people who I’m assuming are your friends. What are you? A cop?”

  I scoff. “Hell no.” I pull my hand away from his and push against the bed, trying to sit up. When he sees me struggling, he stands and leans forward, lifting me up into a sitting position.

  “I work for MAC Security.”

  “Okaaaay.” He lifts a brow, silently prompting me to continue.

  “I don’t know how much to tell you,” I sigh.

  “Start from the beginning?”

  “We’re trying to bring down the cartel.”

  He laughs, full on throwing-his-head-back laughter. I know it sounds absurd to him because plenty of people have tried and failed to bring them down, but he doesn’t know who we are and what we do, how many people we’ve helped put away or bring down.

  “I saw a member leaving your restaurant a while back and I knew you were my way in.” His jaw clenches and I can see the recognition on his face. He knows exactly who I’m talking about. “But…” I say, gaining his attention. “I never expected to like you.”

  He smirks, his eyes glinting. “Well… I can’t say I didn’t expect to hear something like this after I watched you shoot that guy right between the eyes.” He laughs but it’s more of a sad laugh before he looks down at his feet and then back up to me. “I have to get out of here.” He picks his jacket up and stands, stepping toward the door before turning back around at the last second. “You ever need anything? Then hit me up, I owe you one for that shot.” With a wink, he files out of the room and leaves me more confused than I’ve ever been.

  I expected him to be mad, to threaten me into keeping my mouth shut, but he didn’t. He didn’t mention me not talking to the cops again. I’m baffled and tired. So goddamn tired.

  I feel like I could sleep for a week, but when Ty and the guys come rushing in, I know that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

  I’m meant to be relieved that they’re here, that I’m okay. But I just feel like a failure. I failed. I didn’t get any info on Jonny and the cartel and now we’re back to square one. Having to start all over again, all because I got shot.

  “Kitty!” Kay squeals, pushing through them all and trying to hug me. I lift my good arm, smiling at her.

  “Hey,” I croak.

  “We’re so glad you’re okay,” she breathes, pulling back and looking at Ty then back to me when he tilts his head at her. “What happened?”

  I know I should tell them everything, they deserve that much, but I can’t get the image of Jonny’s face out of my head.

  He’d looked after me while I worked at Diva’s, made sure I got to work okay and got home safely. Made sure that Joel didn’t bother me too much. As stupid as it sounds, I feel like I owe him, so I just shake my head and smile as Evan comes forward.

  For now, I’m just going to concentrate on getting better, healing and getting back to work.

  I’ve been sitting here now for over twelve hours. Everybody went in to see Kitty, leaving me until last. But I didn’t mind, it gave me time to gather myself so that I didn’t go in there like the angry, bumbling idiot I feel like I was when I first walked in the hospital. Ty and the guys left a couple of hours ago, my unit following not far behind them. Yet I’m still sitting here, scared to go in the room and see her.

  The last time I was here… No, I can’t think about that. I can’t go back there, not right now.

  I run my hands down my thighs, standing up and walking out of the waiting room and down the hall toward her room.

  I walk through the beige hallway, my eyes not drifting from straight ahead until I get to her room. I can see her through the windows and I stand still, watching her. The side of her face is pressed against the pillow, her eyes closed and her lips pursed.

  My eyes scan all of her features, wishing I could just get up the courage to go in there, to put my hand on her face and press my lips to hers and tell her exactly what she means to me.

  I can feel myself teetering, torn between going in there and telling her that I need her, that she’s the only person I’ve wanted in a very long time, or to just walk away, stopping the inevitable pain that’s certain to come. The inevitable loss that I’ll feel, because I will, at some stage I’ll lose her, just like I lose everything else that’s important to me.

  My gaze darts around her room, scanning over all of the machines that she’s hooked up to as I run my hand through my hair.

  Her eyes spring open and mine shoot to hers as they pull me in, I swallow and take a step forward. Her lips spread into a soft smile and her hand lifts into a small wave.

  I chuckle at her sleepy face, my own lips spreading into a slow smile as I push open the door, heading straight for her.

  “I thought I’d lost you,” I whisper, barely able to get the words out as I sit on the edge of the bed. I lean forward, placing my hands on either side of her face and just holding her still.

  “I’m here,” she whispers back, her eyes fluttering closed as I lean forward and place a gentle kiss on her lips.

  “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost you,” I choke out, a lump forming in my throat.

  “Shhhh.” She pulls me down, placing her forehead against mine. “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere.”

  I nod, trying to convince myself that everything will be okay from here on out. Closing my eyes, I relish in the silent moment between us and breathe her in.

  We stay like that for several moments, neither of us moving.

  “Lie down with me?” she asks, shifting slightly.

  “No.” I shake my head. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “Don’t be silly,” she says, rolling her eyes and patting the bed. “I need you to hold me.”

  “Are you sure?” I ask.

  “Hell yeah, I’m sure, get your ass in here.”

  I chuckle and slip my boots off, climbing onto the bed and putting my arm under her neck, breathing deeply when her head goes to my chest, basking in the feel of her body against mine.

  I wrap her hand in mine and bring it to my lips, kissing it gently and placing it back on my chest.

  We don’t say anything else, there’s nothing to say right now. All that matters is that she’s going to be okay. That she isn’t in danger anymore. That’s all that ever mattered, since the first moment I met her all I wanted to do was keep her safe, to protect her. I tried to do that, even though it was in my own messed up way.

  I listen as her breathing evens out and her head gets heavier, a sure sign that she’s fallen asleep.

  I look down, watching her face. I’ve never taken the time to really truly appreciate how beautiful she is. With a small button nose and full lips, almond-shaped eyes with the longest lashes I’ve ever seen. She’s a different kind of beautiful. Not soft like Emmy. She’s edgy, the kind of beautiful that catches people’s attention.

  She matches me in ways that Emmy never did.

  Emmy was the soft to my hard, the light to my dark. She was the opposite to me but that worked for us. She’d listen to me and never argue with me when I tried to keep her safe. I can’t even remember a time when we had an argument.

  Whereas K
itty tests me every step of the way. She’s just as hard and just as dark, but there’s something about it that intrigues me and I know for a fact that she’d hate me protecting her, thinking she could do it herself. Which she can, she’s badass and the best shot I know.

  I push the hair off her face that has fallen into her eyes and she sighs.

  Maybe this was my path all along? Maybe I was meant to arrive here, to go through all the heartache and pain so that it could lead me here?

  All of a sudden, it’s like someone has switched on a light bulb, like my eyes have been opened and I can see things in color again and not black and gray.

  I close my eyes, knowing that when I wake up, Kitty will be safe and buried in my arms.

  A whole goddamn week I’ve been stuck in this hospital. I hate the smell, the bright lights, and the fact that there’s nothing to do. I’m so used to being busy, having something to do, and not being able to do anything is killing me.

  Between the guys being busy and Charlie having a massive case, I’ve hardly seen anyone. But today is the day, the day I get let out of this prison.

  “Ready?” Kay asks, coming through the door with a giant smile on her face.

  “Fuck yeah, I am!”

  She chuckles and grabs my bag as I stand up, wincing as the movement jars my arm that’s held in a sling. The pain pills that I took ten minutes ago should kick in any minute now and when they do, I’ll be in pure bliss. My arm throbs so bad that I have to grit my teeth and stand still trying to steady myself because it’s making me dizzy, almost knocking me off my feet.

  “Everything is set up at home for you, I’ve made sure to put fresh sheets on your bed and I also did a little cleaning.”

  “You didn’t have to do that,” I tell her.

  “Sure I did.” She smiles but it soon turns into a frown when she sees me struggling. “You sure you don’t want me to get a wheelchair?”

  “I’m fine,” I say through gritted teeth. I can do this.

  She just nods and carries on ahead of me, knowing that I won’t let her help me. I’ve been independent for far too long and I’m not going to start relying on anyone now.